Atalanta coach Stefano Colantuono will be without the likes of Gianpaolo Bellini, Daniele Capelli (knee) and Guido Marilungo (cruciate ligament) for AC Milan’s visit to the Atleti Azzurri d’Italia.

Meanwhile, Nerazzurri midfielder Luigi Giorgi will miss the Lombardy derby having been sent off late in their 1-1 draw with Cagliari.

The Rossoneri remain without central midfielders Massimo Ambrosini and Nigel de Jong for their trip to Bergamo, while Urby Emanuelson and Mario Yepes are not expected to feature in the squad.

In defence, Ignazio Abate - who has been linked with a move to Zenit - is likely to make way for Mattia De Sciglio, and Daniele Bonera could start ahead of Philippe Mexes. Massimiliano Allegri has already confirmed that his attacking trio will remain unchanged but he could opt to swap out Mathieu Flamini for Antonio Nocerino.

DID YOU KNOW?

Atalanta have only won one of their last nine Serie A clashes - a 2-1 home triumph over Parma.

AC Milan sit sixth in the Serie A having surged up the table since a rocky start to the season. Their opponents, contrastingly, have been in reverse and are wedged 13th in the Italian top tier.

Stephan El Shaarawy (pictured, right) is Milan's top goalscorer this season but has not scored in over a month in the league for the Rossoneri.

The two teams played in match day 3 of the Serie A season, and Luca Cigarini scored the only goal of the game to condemn Allegri's side to their second defeat in the first three matches.

Milan won both Italian top-tier games against their Lombardy neighbours 2-0 last season.

Both clubs have only kept four clean sheets in Serie A clashes this campaign.

Players to watch

It took goalkeeping heroics from Bologna’s Federico Agliardi to keep Milan from scoring for so long last weekend, and it might just take something similar from Atalanta’s best player this season according to our Rating Index. The Rossoneri’s attack is in contrasting form right now to when the club beat them at the start of the campaign. If la Dea want a repeat victory on home turf then it is essential their shot-stopper puts in a superb showing.

The Milan left-back was rampant in their 2-1 win over Bologna last weekend and complimented Stephan El Shaarawy down the wing with some excellent runs and through balls. His short passing still leaves a little to be desired but his will to take on fellow full-backs makes him an excellent asset in attack as well as defence.

Editor's Prediction

The Bergamo-based club have been on a slippery slope after a semi-decent start to the season and are sliding dangerously close to the relegation zone. Milan’s attacking prowess should see them net a few times at the Atleti Azzurri d’Italia, with M’Baye Niang, Giampaolo Pazzini and Stephan El Shaarawy a good mix of youth and experience.

Having said that, their brittle defence are more than likely to concede based on recent endeavours and Atalanta could even take the lead if they start with their heads screwed on. However, anything but a Rossoneri victory would be a shock considering how separated the sides sit in the form table.